Symptoms

The Server Core option was installed by using Volume Licensing media that doesn't have access to Windows Update.

In this scenario, the feature installation fails. Also, you receive the following error message:

Error: 0x800f081f

The source files could not be found. Use the "Source" option to specify the location of the files that are required to restore the feature. For more information on specifying a source location, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=243077.

Resolution

To resolve this problem, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Connect to the Internet

­If the server can connect to Windows Update for the feature installation, let the server make the connection.

Method 2: Use Windows Server 2012 R2 installation media

If the server cannot connect to Windows Update, download the new Volume Licening media (released on December 11, 2013) and use the Install-WindowsFeature PowerShell command. To do this, follow these steps:

Note When you specify the <index> number in the Install-WindowsFeature PowerShell cmdlet in step 4, you must use the index number for the full (non-core) version of the SKU that you currently have installed. For example, if you have Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter installed, the required index number is 4. If you have Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard installed, the required index number is 2.

Open a PowerShell command prompt by typing the following command:

Powershell.exe

Type the following PowerShell command, in which <drive> represents the location of the Windows Server 2012 R2 installation files and <index> represents the numbered index from step 2:

More Information

The Windows Server 2012 R2 Volume Licensing media was designed to require access to Windows Update in order to add optional components or features that are not included in the side-by-side repository. If the server doesn't have Internet access, or if access to Windows Update has been restricted, you can't enable optional components or features by using the DISM command, Windows PowerShell cmdlets, or Server Manager.

Status

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the packaging of volume licensed media for Windows Server 2012 R2. This behavior is not by design and has been corrected in the Volume Licensing build that was rereleased on December 11, 2013. Please use the new media for any Windows Server 2012 R2 installations. See the "Resolution" section to resolve this problem on servers on which you can't install features.